The U.S. military has sunk 16 Iranian mine-laying craft near the Strait of Hormuz in military action on Tuesday, according to reports.
The sinkings come after warnings from President Donald Trump that, had Iranian forces tried to mine the Strait, they needed to be removed posthaste.
This apparently didn’t go as planned, with a U.S. Central Command post noting that “U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz.”
It included video of some of the strikes against the Iranian boats that were unclassified.
U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/371unKYiJs
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 10, 2026
Few details were included in the post, including whether or not Iran had already been laying mines in the Strait, which is used to transport over 20 million barrels of oil a day. That’s roughly a fifth of world oil supply.
“The United States believed that Iran was preparing to mine the strait but had not begun the operation, according to an American official. Still, the preparatory efforts spooked the Trump administration, prompting the White House order to the military to strike Iran’s mine-laying equipment,” The New York Times reported.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the northern Arabian Sea. Iran’s southern coastline runs along the strait, and military and civilian vessels transiting through are routinely questioned by Iranian authorities via maritime radio communications when entering and exiting the gulf.”
The Times also noted that Iran had previously laid mines in the Persian Gulf during tensions between Iran and the United States back in the 1980s. While U.S. minesweepers were able to clear most of them, a U.S. frigate was hit by one in April of 1988. It did not sink.
Trump made it clear he did not want a repeat of this, taking to Truth Social shortly after 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday to send a message to Tehran.
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” he wrote.
“If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”
“Additionally, we are using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently,” he added.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 03.10.26 03:07 PM EST
If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences…
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) March 10, 2026
According to a CBS News report on Tuesday, sources within the government told the outlet that Iran was ready to begin deploying mines in the Strait to make shipping more difficult.
There are no exact figures on how many mines Iran has, but a rough estimate places the number between 2,000 and 6,000, either produced domestically or by its allies, China and Russia.
Iran’s strategy, sources say, is to use smaller crafts which can only carry two or three mines at a time.
The move could make things more difficult for oil tanker operators, with several major maritime insurers saying they will no longer cover boats that traverse either the Persian Gulf or Iranian waters.
According to CNBC, Trump has promised to provide “political risk insurance and guarantees for the Financial Security of ALL Maritime Trade, especially Energy, traveling through the Gulf” through the government-run U.S. Development Finance Corporation.
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